QatQi Preview

Good luck finding QatQi in the Scrabble dictionary

The mobile format is perfect for tile-based word games, but let’s be honest: There’s a glut of tile-based word games out there, and it’s all getting a little old. If you need a change of pace, you can try to sneak nonsense words like “FOKPOOT” past Words With Friends’ in-game dictionary, OR, you can give the tile-based word games a rest and give QatQi (pronounced “cat-key”) a try.

QatQi is developed by Chris Garrett, an indie game designer with a new vision for mobile word games. Instead of merely plunking down letters, you “explore” puzzles by spelling words across rooms and corridors. Said corridors get narrower as you play, which provides a scaling challenge for wordsmiths and those of us whose vocabulary never branched far beyond four-letter words.

That said, you shouldn’t automatically be satisfied with a poorly-furnished word warehouse. Improve, improve, improve. QatQi lets you strengthen your skills by providing a detailed stats page that breaks down your key metrics after each puzzle. That should be enough to keep you going and help you eventually make your momma proud.

And if you do have a decent grasp on word-thingies, QatQi lets you flaunt it. You can compare your scores with competitors from your region, or around the world. You can also take screenshots of your biggest accomplishments and post them instantly to Facebook or Twitter.

QatQi is a peaceful-looking game thanks to aesthetics designed by Kun Chang, an artist who worked on Osmos and The Phantom Menace. You can feel chill even as you curse yourself for missing a high-scoring opportunity.